Resilient pad



R. N. WEST RES ILIENT PAD Dec. 12, 1933.

Filed Aug. 22, 1930 Patented Dec. 12, 1933 RESILIENT PAD Robert N. West,Maplewood, N. J., assignor to Robert A. West, Maplewood, N. J.

Application August 22, 1930. Serial No. 477,004

9 Claims. `(Cl. 68-9) This invention relates to resilient cushions orpads for garment presses, ironing machines, either of the flat or rolltype, upholstered furniture, bed springs, carpet pads, chair pads, foot6 pads and the like. The particular objects of my invention are theprovision of a simple, durable and compact construction which providesan even, yieldable, highly responsive surface that readily accommodatesitself to applied pressures,

whether mechanical or gravity. Further objects of my invention arehereinafter set forth.

I am fully aware that various resilient ironing pads have beenheretofore devised, such for example as the constructions disclosed inPatents Nos. 1,466,363, 1,054,407 and 1,628,196 and accordingly, do notclaim any construction therein disclosed.

My invention is fully set forth in the following detailed descriptionsand drawing forming a part of this specification in which latter Figure1 is a plan view of my improved pad, the same being shown ofindeterminate length and having but a portion of its complete complementof the cages in position thereon;

Fig. 2 is a transverse, Vertical section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end view of a modification adapted for a roll of a flatwork ironer;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one form of a retainer' cage isolated;

Fg. 5 is a plan view; Fig. 6 is an end view, and Fig. 7 is a section, onthe line 7-7 of Fig. 6, all showing of a modified form of retainer cage;

Fig. 8 is a Vertical section showing the spring in elevation of amodified form of pad wherein opposing plain faced terminal members areemployed in lieu of fianged terminal members;

Fig. 9 is a Vertical section and Fig. 10 is a plan view of a stillfurthei' modified form of retainer cage.

Referring to the drawing and the construction shown therein, thereference numeral 1 designates longitudinal channel members of myimproved pad, the same having Vertical sides 2 and opposing longitudinalfianges 3 at the upper ends thereof. Cross pieces 4, each having alateral marginal fiange 5, serve to rigidly secure said terminal membersin definite relation with each other, the same being preferably securedthereto by means of eyelets or grommets 6, which are inserted in theaperture '7.

Said channel members are adapted to receive and support spring retainercages 10 which, as

. shown, are provided with opposing depending 55 lateral arms 11 eachhaving terminal flanges 12,

and also end flanges 13 which, as indicated by the reference letter a,are inclined inwardly intermediate the ends thereof and the lower ends bthereof are brought into spaced relation which corresponds approximatelyto the distance between the inner edges of flanges 12, thereby servingto receive and center Springs 14 which,

as shown in Fig. 2, are adapted to rest on the bottom of said channels 1and to normally hold the retainer cages in their uppermost position asillustrated at the left of Fig. 2.

In the construction shown in Fig. 3, the retainer cages 10' areessentially similar to those shown in Figs. 1 and 2, except that the topof each cage is described on a radius which is concentric to the radiusof the supporting roll A. As shown, these retainer cages are providedwith depending arms 11' which are flanged, as indicated by the numerals12', and are adapted to be normally held in their uppermost or extendedposition by a spring 14.

In the construction shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the retainer cages 15have Vertical arms 16 which correspond to the arms 11 in theconstruction shown in Fig. 2, and also these arms are 39 provided withterminal flanges 17, but in lieu of the converging arms 13 of theconstruction shown in Figs. 2 and 4, these retainer cages are providedwith Vertical arms 18 and since these retainer cages are of rectangularconfiguration, being of greater length between the arms 16 and 18, thesecages serve to effectively center the Springs 14 when the latter aremounted between the flanges 2 of the channels 1.

In Figs. 9 and 10 the retainer cages 19 are provided with depending arms20, having terminal flanges 21, but in lieu of the end arms shown in theconstruction of Figs. 1 to 6, the upper surface of said retainer cage isprovided with three struck-up barbs or lugs 23 which are disposed aroundthe circumference of a circle that is slightly less in diameter than thediameter of the spring 24. The lower coil of the latter is adapted tosnugly flt over a struck-up boss 25 in the channel member 1', whichlatter otherwise corresponds to the channel member 1. The manner inwhich the barbs 23 are formed results also in the formation of apertures26 which serve for the purpose of ventilating the pad.

When the foregoing pad is employed for garment presses or ironingmachines, the customary textile padding is employed to cover the topsurface and sides of the same, said covering being suitably secured inthe regular manner to the buck or roll upon which the pad is supported.

` with a plurality of small apertures to permit of whereby theircomplete vertical separation from each other will be prevented.

Preferably, when employing my pad for ironing purposes, the retainercages are provided the passage of the steam through the textile paddingor covering into the space within the bottom channeled members fromwhich the same can be continually removedby suction or by a current ofcompressed air in the well known manner.

The construction of my improved pad, except the form thereof illustratedin Figs. 9 and 10 readily admits of the replacement of a broken or wornout spring without necessitating the removal of the entire pad as such,it being merely necessary to remove a suihcient number of the adjacentcages by sliding the same longitudinally along the bottom channeledmember until the particular cage containing the spring to be replacedhas been removed and then the spring is renewed and the cages replacedinto their original position.

My improved pad is ideally adapted for ironing purposes or for furnitureor'foot rests and the like, because of the remarkably smooth andsubstantially unbroken surface aiforded thereby, when the retainer cagesor when bottom and top channeled members are employed. Furthermore, thesame can be assembled at the place of manufacture and shipped as a unitand readily mountedtxn the machine or article to be supplied there-- wiHaving thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to obtain byUnited States Letters Patent is:

l. In a resilient pad, the combination comprising a frame having aplurality of flanged channeled elements, a series of fianged springretainer cages slidably mounted on each of said channeled elements formovement vertically' thereof, the fianges of said spring retainer cagesinterlocking with the flanges of the channeled member on which the sameare mounted, whereby the movement of said cages away from said channelmember is positively limited and spring members interposed between eachof said cages and the channeled member in which the same are mounted andserving to normally maintain the respective fianges of a cage and saidchanneled member in contact while permitting of the depression of saidcage.

2. A resilient pad, comprising a plurality of longitudinal channeledfianged members, means for securing the same in fixed relation withrespect to each other, fianged retainer cages slidably mounted on eachchanneled member for movement vertically and longitudinally thereof,spring elements interposed between said flanged cages and the channeledmember supporting the same and means for centering each of said springmembers at its top and bottom respectively.

3. In a resilient pad, the combination comv prising a plurality ofchanneled members having opposing, outwardly projecting side fianges atthe open edges of said channel, means for securing the same in fixedlongitudinal relation with respect to each other, spring retainer cagesslidably mounted on each of Said chmlld mmbers for movement verticallythereof, and having their outward movement away from said channeledmembers limited by the fianges of the latter, said spring retainer cagesbeing of oblong configuration and having depending side and end members,the distanee between the free ends of its end members beingsubstantially equal to the width of the channel of said channeledmembers and spring elements interposed between the top of said springretainer cages and the bottom of said channeled members.

4. In a resilient pad, the combination comprising a plurality ofchanneled base members, means for holding the same in substantialparallelism with each other, said base members having opposing marginaifianges at the upper ends thereof, spring retainer cages havingdownwardly extending flanged side members slidably mounted on each basemember for movement vertically thereof, the flanges of said side membersembracing the flanges of said base members and coiled springs interposedbetween the bottom of said base members and the top of said retainercages carried thereby.

5. 'In a resilient pad, the combination comprising a plurality ofchanneled base members, means a for holding the same in substantialparallelism with each other, said base members having opposing marginalflanges at the upper ends thereof, a plurality of coil springs mountedin said channeled base members, rectangular spring retainer cagesslidably mounted on said base members for movement vertically thereofand each of which has fianged side members and spring guide means, bothof which extend downwardly at right angles to the top of the cage, saidfianged side members co-operating with the flanges of the base membersand being capable of relative movement 'fitia respect thereto when theretainer cages ale depressed and said guide means projecting into thechanneled base member in which the cages are mounted and preventingdirect contact between adjacent spring elements positioned therein.

6. In a resilient pad, the sub-combination comprising a rectangularspring retainer cage having fianged side members and spring guide means,both of which extend downwardly with respect to the top of the cage.

7. An article of manufacture, the combination comprising a support,longitudinal flanged channeled members secured thereto in parallelismwith each other, coil Springs mounted in said channeled members, springretainer cages resiliently supported by said Springs and slidablymounted on said channeled members for movement vertically thereof, eachspring retainer cage having downwardly projecting fianged side membersand also fiat downwardly projecting spring guiding means, said retainercages each being of rectangular configuration at the top thereof andhaving the shortest top dimension thereof substantially equal to thewidth of the channels in the channeled members whereby the guide meansare so spaced as to prevent lateral upsetting of the coil springs duringthe vertical movements of said cageswith respect to said longitudinalchanneled members.

8. A resilient pad including in combination,

channelled supporting means providing a pluralbeneath the respectivespring-retainer members 15-3 terlocklng but slidsble enugement therewithand sprinz members retained beneath the respective spring retainermembers and serving to resiliently support the same with respect to saidchannelled supportinx means.

i ROBERT N. WEST.

